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Biennial report of the Secretary of State of North Carolina for the ...

Biennial report of the Secretary of State of North Carolina for the ...

BIENNIAL REPORT
SECRETARY OF STATE
TWO FISCAL YEARS ENDING NOV. 30, 1914
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BIENNIAL REPORT
SECRETARY OF STATE
TWO FISCAL YEARS ENDING NOV. 30, 1914
RALEIGH
E. M. UzzELL & Co., State Printers and Binders
1914
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2009 with funding from
Ensuring Democracy through Digital Access (NC-LSTA)
http://www.archive.org/details/biennialreporto191214nort
CONTENTS.
I. Public Lands.
II. Grants Indexed.
III. Supreme Court Reports.
IV. Corporations.
V. Trade-marks.
VI. Banks.
VII. Railroads.
VIII. Automobiles.
IX. Enrollment of Bills.
t
X. Laws.
XI. Legislative Reference Librarian.
XII. Payments to Treasurer.
BIENNIAL REPORT
OF THE
SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR THE
TWO FISCAL YEARS ENDING NOVEMBER 30, 1914.
State of North Carolina,
Department of State,
Ealeigh, December 1, 1914.
To His Excellency, Locke Craig,
Governor.
Sir :—I have the honor to submit herewith to you a report concern-ing
the Department of State for the two years ending N'ovember 30,
1914, and to request you to transmit the same to the Generaly Assembly.
PUBLIC lands.
There have been issued from the office of the Secretary of State with-in
the past two years 300 grants of public lands, on which account there
has been paid into the State Treasury $9,379.94. These grants were as
follows for the year ending
—
Xov. 30, Xov. 30,
1913. 191',.
Regular grants 170 110
Cherokee grants 4 1
Oyster grants 11 4
185 115
The regular grants were in the following counties
:
1913. 191 ',.
Alleghany 6
Anson 1
Ashe 7 o
Avery 2
Beaufort 1
Bladen __ 2
Brunswick 4 2
Buncombe 1 1
Burke 2 .3
Caldwell 3 1
Carteret 9 1
Chatham — 1
Cherokee 2 1
Chowan 1
6 Biennial Report
1913. 191'i.
Columbus 1
Cumberlaud 6 3
CuiTituck 2
Dare 11 i
GastoD 1
Graham 29 6
Harnett 1
Henderson 1 i
Jackson 4 2
Jones __ 1
Lee 1 1
Macon 26 29
McDowell 7 5
Mitchell 2 2
Montgomery 4 3
Moore 5 3
New Hanover 1 2
Onslow 1 5
Pamlico 2
Pasquotank __ 2
Pitt 1
Polk __ 1
Richmond 3 2
Rutherford 1
Sampson 3
Scotland 1 l
Stanly __ 2
Surry 2
Swain 5 5
Transylvania 1
Tyrrell 1
Union 2 1
Wasliington 2
Watauga 5 1
Wilkes 8 6
Yancey 1
Total 170 110
The following is a table of grants issued since 1882
:
Number grants issne<l two years ending December 1, 1882, 1,189
;
amounts paid Treasurer $ 10,912.87
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1884, 1.329
amounts paid Treasurer -. 13,186.73
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1886, 990;
amounts paid Treasurer 5,975.69
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1888, 893
;
amounts paid Treasurer 9,493.49
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1890, 1,453
amounts paid Treasurer 15,570.43
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1892, 1,358
;
amounts paid Treasurer 16,831.11
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1894, 703
amounts paid Treasurer 5,200.73
Secretary of State. 7
Numbei- grants issued two years encliug December 1, 1896, 547
;
amouuts paid Treasurer $ 9.234.46
Number grants 'issued two years ending December 1, 1898, 599
amounts paid Treasurer 6,337.13
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1900, 665
;
amounts paid Treasurer 6,384.69
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1902, 732
amounts paid Treasurer 6,911.88
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1904, 789
amounts paid Treasurer 11,230.60
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1906, 488
amounts paid Treasurer 16,511.47
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1908, 529
amounts paid Treasurer 16,025.49
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1910, 317
;
amounts paid Treasurer 9,695.85
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1912, 255
amounts paid Treasurer 13,349.25
Number grants issued two years ending December 1, 1914, 300;
amounts paid Treasurer 9,379.94
GRANTS indexed.
The General Assembly of 1913 continued the appropriation of $1,500
a year for establishing a card-index system for grants, and to arrange
and change the method of filing warrants, plats, and surveys in the
office of the Secretary of Slate. As I said in my last report, this work
has been slow, tedious, and disappointing in results; but the necessity
of it, and the convenience of rearrangement, indexing, etc., is more fully
realized as the work nears completion. Wlien finished its value will be
very great.
The report of 1912 shows the grant work to have been partially com-pleted
through book 145, date 1838 ; since then that section of the work
has been finished and the work carried on to book 175, date 1885, except
about 30,000 index cards, which are now being written. Since the last
report about 40,000 envelopes have been written; 56,000 warrants, plats,
and surveys have been classified, arranged, and jacketed; 57,000 index
cards with full description have been prepared and placed in the cases.
The expenditure for clerical help on this work for the years 1913 and
1914 was as follows
:
Mrs. E. H. Winfree $ 283.00
Miss Tola Bledsoe 242.00
A. J. Feild 25.00
Y. W. Kimball 177.00
Artliur Brimley 7.00
Miss A. C. Bledsoe 504.00
J. J. Harrington 988.83
Mrs. M. B. Syme 341.00
Miss A. D. Bagwell 167.00
$2,734.83
Biennial Report
SUPREME COURT REPORTS.
Within the past tAvo years fifteen vohnnes of the Supreme Covirt Re-ports
have been annotated and reprinted. The annotating has been done
by Chief Justice Walter Clark.
The sale of Reports for the last two fiscal years has been
:
For year ending November 30, 191.3 $8,910.95
For year ending November .30, 1914 8,937.84
The sales of Reports for the past few years have been as follows
:
Two years ending December 1, 1882 $ 3,3,52.40
Two years ending December 1, 1884 4,626.90
Two years ending December 1, 1886 3,253.00
Two years ending December 1, 1888 3,762.49
Two years ending December 1, 1890 4,002.02
Two years ending December 1, 1892 2.618.01
Two years ending December 1, 1894 621.12
Two years ending December 1, 1896 6.026.89
Two years ending December 1, 1898 5,759.55
Two years ending December 1, 1900 7,692.59
Two years ending December 1, 1902 7.026.89
Two years ending December 1, 1904 9,842.25
Two years ending December 1, 1906 15,034.54
Two years ending December 1, 1908 14,661.74
Two years ending December 1, 1910 17.482.00
Two years ending December 1, 1912 17,031..55
Two years ending December 1, 1914 17,848.79
To the Department of State was assigned a large part of the base-ment
of the new Library and Supreme Court Building, which space has
been filled with volumes of Supreme Court Reports. All the room in
this basement is very greatly needed by the State Library.
There are still about 45,000 volumes of Supreme Court Reports, Laws,
and other books belonging to the State now in the care of the Secretary
of State which are in a wareroom rented from Uzzell & Co. by the State.
The owners of this warehouse, which has been used by the State for a
number of years, now need it for other purposes, and it has been found
impossible so far to secure a proper place elsewhere for the storage of
these books. The Department of State needs at least 12,000 feet of floor
space to properly care for the property of the State in the custody of
that Department. The Adjutant General and other departments are
renting warehouses and rooms in unsuitable and inconvenient places in
the city.
I would urge the purchase of a spacious lot and the erection of a
modern, commodious warehouse for the safe keeping of these books and
other State property. This is a necessity and would also be an economy.
Secretary of State. 9
corporations.
There have been 2,119 certificates for domestic corporations filed in
the office of the Secretary of State for the past two years, on which $46,-
657.03 as organization, amendment, and dissolution taxes have been
paid.
The dissolutions have been as follows
:
December 1, 1912. to November 30, 1913 195
December 1, 1913, to November 30, 1914 291
The following is a table of corporation certificates filed since 1893 :
For the year ending November 30, 1893 21
For the year ending November 30, 1894 115
For the year ending November 30, 1895 133
For the year ending November 30, 1896 151
For the year ending November 30, 1897 147
For the year ending November 30, 1898 156
For the year ending November 30, 1899 207
For the year ending November 30, 1900 306
For the year ending November 30, 1901 327
For the year ending November 30. 1902 395
For the year ending November 30, 1903 554
For the year ending November 30, 1904 540
For the year ending November .30, 1905 697
For the year ending November 30, 1906 821
For the year ending November 30, 1907 839
For the year ending November 30, 1908 763
For the year ending November 30, 1909 1,050
For the year ending November 30, 1910 1,058
For the year ending November .30, 1911 985
For the year ending November .30, 1912 1,093
For the year ending November 30, 1913 1.032
For the year ending November 30, 1914 1,087
TRADE-MARKS.
For the two years ending ISTovember 30, 1914, 33 trade-marks have
been registered.
For year ending November 30, 1913 12
For year ending November 30, 1914 21
33
BANKS.
Seventy-two banks have filed certificates in this office within the last
two years.
For year ending November 30, 1913 40
For year ending November .30, 1914 32
10 Biennial Report
RAILROADS.
The following railroads have filed certificates in this office since my
last report
:
December 1, 1912, to Novemher 30, 1913.
Carolina Railroad Company.
Hiawassee Valley Railway Company (amendment).
Pembroke, Red Springs and Nortliern Railroad Company.
Richland Railroad Company.
Warrenton and Norlina Railway Company.
Watanga Railway Company (amendment).
Decemher 1, 1913, to Novemher 30, 191.'i.
Atlantic and Carolina Railway Company.
Carolina, Atlantic and Western Railway
(from North and South Carolina Railway Company).
Carolina, Atlantic and Western Railway Company (merger).
Gulf and Bay Railway Company.
Sea Beach Railway Company.
Shelby Northern Railway Company.
Wilmington and Fort Fisher Railroad and Power Company.
AUTOMOBILES.
Number of automobiles registered prior to December 1, 1910_ 2,018
Number registered from December 1, 1910, to November 30,
1911 1,686
Number registered from December 1, 1911, to November 30,
1912 2,402
The amounts collected from automobiles for registration and renewals
of licenses were
:
Year ending November .30, 1911 $11,181.00
Year ending November 30, 1912 16,462.00
Year ending November 30, 1913 65,901.00
Year ending November .30, 1914 98,046.32
Note.—The automobile registration year ends on June 30th of each year. The amount of fees col-lected
for the fiscal year ending November 30th includes, therefore, a part of the registration fees for
two years.
Under the automobile law enacted in 1913, 11,389 automobiles were
registered for the year ending June 30, 1914. This law requires an
annual registration. For the year ending June 30, 1915, there have
been registered from July 1 to November 30, 14,677 automobiles, an
increase of over 3,000 machines for the five months.
The registration fees collected for the year ending June 30, 1914,
amounted to $67,862.07. Of this amount, 80 per cent of the amount
collected from each county was refunded to that county by the State
Treasurer for the road fund, in compliance with the provisions of the
Secretary of State. 11
law. Tlie amount collected for the year ending June 30, 1915, for the
five months period beginning July 1st and ending JSTovember 30th, was
$89,580.19. Eighty per cent of this amount, together with 80 per cent
of the amount collected for the balance of the year ending June 30,
1915, will be refunded to the counties as soon as possible after Julv 1,
1915.
In addition to the registration of automobiles, 1,146 motorcycles Avere
registered for the year ending June 30, 1914, and 1,300 have been reg-istered
for the year ending June 30,. 1915, from July 1, 1914, to Novem-ber
30, 1914. For the year ending June 30, 1914, 160 demonstrating
licenses were issued. Tor the year ending June 30, 1915, from July 1
to JSTovember 30, 1914, 226 demonstrating licenses have been issued.
The registration fees under the new law are $5, $7.50, and $10 an-nually
foT automobiles; $2 for motorcycles, and $10 for demonstrating
licenses. The transfer fee is $2. From March 1st to June 30th of each
year only one-half the regular registration fee is charged.
Prior to the passage of the act of 1913, display numbers were not
furnished by the State, but were prepared by the OAvner of the machine
registered and placed on such machine after he had secured his license.
It was, therefore, impossible for an officer to tell whether or not a license
had been renewed except by personal inspection. Under the new law,
the display numbers are furnished by the State, and the colors are
changed each year, so that an officer is able to tell at a glance whether
or not a machine is properly registered for the current year.
The officers of the State generally have shown their willingness to
enforce the law, and hundreds of inquiries are annually received and
answered by the office as to 0A\mership of machines, etc. Copies of the
law are furnished free to any person desiring them, and lists of regis-tered
owners are furnished to the city and county authorities from
time to time of the registrations from their counties, for their con-venience
in the enforcement of the law.
Indexes are carefully kept in the office, both numerically and alpha-betically
of the registered owners of all automobiles, and any informa-tion
regarding registrations is available at all times.
The clerical expense incident to the automobile Avork for the past
two years has been as folloAvs
:
1913.
J. E. Sawyer .$1,300.00
Mrs. M. B. Syme ll.l.OO
W. P. Batchelor 12..')0
B. Little 13.75
V. W. Kimball 17.00
$1,458.25
12 Biennial Report
191-',.
J. E. Sawyer $1,500.00
Miss A. C. Bledsoe 82.50
Mrs. M. B. Syme SO.OO
Mrs. W. S. Wilson 25.00
V. W. Kimball 57.50
Miss A. D. Bagwell 55.00
Miss Ida Bledsoe 50.00
Miss Frances Lacy 21.25
A. J. Feild 30.00
E. R. Carroll 24.00
$1,925.25
ENROLLMENT OF BILLS.
Some method should be adopted to avoid the rush of Avork done at
the close of the session, which, to insure accuracy, requires an unusual
amount of proof-reading. In 1905 more than half the bills passed by
the General Assembly were sent to the Enrolling Office in the last ten
days of the session. In 1907 the congestion at the close was more
marked than in 1905. At that session the General xVssembly passed 1,535
acts; 1,245, or over 80 per cent, of these were ratified during the last
twenty days of the session; 901, or 58 per cent, of them in the last ten
days, and 237 on the last day. In 1909 more than %Q per cent of the
laws of the session were enrolled and ratified in the last ten days of
the session. In 1911 over 77 per cent were ratified in the last ten days
of the session. In 1913, 1,154 acts, or 76 per cent of the laws, were
passed in the last ten days of the session. This included many of the
longest and most important bills before the General Assembly, causing
an undue rush, and much all-night work in the Enrolling Department,
and entailed much extra cost in endeavoring to secure accuracy with
extra proof-readers and other help. In such a confused rush it is almost
imi3ossible to have it properly done. As I have said before, "The Com-mittee
on Enrolled Bills and members cannot devote time to examining
such a congested mass of bills without neglecting their duties on the
floor of the General Assembly, and they find it a physical impossibility
to read over these laws. The hurry and congestion cause much crude
legislation and many inaccuracies." I am still of the opinion that if
the Engrossing Departments of the Senate and House and the Enrolling
Department were consolidated, it would be in the interest of accuracy
and economy. The chief officer of the department could be appointed by
the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, and he should
be free to select his assistants for their skill and efficiency. In the clos-ing
rush important bills sometimes fail to get the proper readings as
required by the Constitution, and cause loss and annoyance, and fre-quently
mentioned public measures are lost for want of time to consider
them. Especially is this true where no one feels it a particular duty to
press them.
Secretary of State. 13
legislative reference librarian.
As I have Avritten in several former reports, one of tlie most neces-sary
officers in iN^orth Carolina is a Legislative Reference Librarian, or
some one charged with the duties performed by such an officer as has
been found necessary in most of the States of the Union. This office,
as has been aptly said, would be "a clearing house for information upon
public aifairs." J^ot only do most of the States have such an officer,
but many of the cities, larger libraries, and universities have such an
institution, and the larger corporations frequently have such a bureau.
It would be the duty of that department to give condensed, compre-hensive,
impartial, accurate information on any subject on short notice.
To the busy legislator it would have ready the accumulated, classified
experiment and experience of all other States and countries upon every
question of legislation that would be likely to arise. The want of time
does not permit the most careful and scrupulous legislator to gather for
himself from authentic sources full information of digested data upon
the many bills he has to consider.
"A Legislative Reference Librarian would be a most useful and eco-nomical
officer to the State. It could be made his duty to collect, tabu-late,
and annotate information for the use of members and committees
of the General Assembly upon all questions of legislation coming before
that body. He should make references and analytical comparisons of
legislation upon similar questions in other States, and have at hand the
laws of other States, papers, magazine articles, and discussions of the
question both pro and con. Such indexing, tabulation, and general in-formation
would be invaluable to the busy legislator. It could be made
this officer's duty to edit all laws for the State Printer, annotating the
laws as passed and keeping the Revisal of 1905 revised to date. He
should also assist in the preparation of bills for current legislation,
thereby avoiding much duplication and much unnecessary printing."
As I have written before: The Constitution could be so amended that
three-fourths of our legislation could be dispensed with and many of
those matters consuming the time of the General Assembly attended to
under general laws by the various departments, Superior Courts, county
commissioners, etc. Many of the laws passed could now be digested,
consolidated, or combined so as to save much time and many thousands
of dollars in cost of printing.
In 1909 there were passed 174 strictly public laws, making 262 pages.
The public and private laws together required 2,391 closely printed
pages. In 1911 there were 215 laws passed classed as public, making
317 pages, and in that year the public, public-local, and private laws
required 2,664 closely printed pages. In 1913 there were 203 acts and
60 resolutions classed as public laws, making 478 pages printed in the
Public Laws ; and 1,322 acts, making 3,145 pages, printed in the Public-
Local and Private Laws.
14 Biennial Report
It will surprise some of the legislators themselves to note the niimher
of laws that could so easily have been systematized and consolidated.
To say nothing of many laws referring to cotton weighers, clerks of the
court, arrears of taxes, special taxes, sawdust in streams, local dog laws,
etc., and a few duplicate laws, or the same act passed twice, the follow-ing
table of laws, many of which could have been consolidated, will be
illuminating
:
1909. 1911. 1913.
WIS
{Extra
Sessio7i).
County and township bonds 47 63 97 31
Bonds 45 85 119 34
County commissioners 26 42 33 5
Court stenographers 9 10 12 2
Chicken laws 4 8 4 1
Drainage law 11 20 20 8
Game and fish laws 121 107 89 21
Primaries 8 11 16 3
Local courts 14 27 40 22
Road laws 94 101 158 37
Stock laws 11 20 18 17
Jurors 22 6 16 4
Justices of the peace 28 12 19 32
Cities and towns (including bonds) 222 262 325 96
Corporations 26 20 20 1
Graded schools, schools and school districts 120 107 127 38
Railroads 27 34 24 7
PAYMENTS TO TREASURER.
191.3. 191.',.
Automobiles ,$65,901.00 $98,046.32
Corporations (organization tax) 24,081.80 22,575.23
Corporation statements 952.00 75.00
Corporations (foreign) 1,942..50 2,582.50
Corporations (seals) 902.70 489.00
Corporations (fees) .3,181.11 3,208.90
Fees 1.653.55 1,14.3.55
Seals 902.70 ' 489.00
Supreme Court Reports 8.910.95 8.937.84
Laws and Journals 68.3.84 602.27
Miscellaneous 211.65 196.21
Trade-marks 46.40 81.00
Land grant fees 127..30 80.70
Po.stage 20..38 13.58
Land grants 4.909.47 4.470.47
$114,427.35 .$142,991.57
Note.—The amounts of money received by this Department (except for entries of vacant lands) are
paid to the Treasurer as of the first of the month following the month in which they are collected, and
so appear in his accounts. For instance, money received by the Secretary of State for November, and
entered in the November accounts of this office, appears in the December accounts of the Treasurer, and
so for the other months of the year.
Secketary of State. 15
With the large receipts now being taken in by the Department of
State, another system from that now practiced in the handling of these
funds should be adopted. Another clerk is necessary to properly take
care of the increasing work of this Department.
In conclusion,. I desire to acknowledge the efficient assistance of
Messrs. W. S. "Wilson, George W. !N^orwood, Joseph E. Sawyer, Miss
Minnie Bagwell, and Miss Virginia D. Taylor in the discharge of the
duties of this office.
Secretary of State.